Effective interactions between doctors and patients are crucial to establishing a relationship of trust. In today's highly technical world, vast amounts of medical information are stored in large computerized databases. Typically, such databases store the medical information about patients as electronic medical records, generally referred to as EMRs. Such EMRs contain various information about patients such as their medical history, allergies, medications, diagnostic information, test results, among myriad other types of medical events and information. EMRs have become an integral part of the evolution from paper medical records to electronically stored medical records.
Conventional interfaces with EMR databases are somewhat proficient at receiving information about the patient, categorizing such information, and storing such information in the database. However, due to the massive amounts of information stored in the database, and the inability to quickly access and use such information without using a complex interface, it is difficult or impossible for doctors to efficiently communicate with patients, particularly when the patient is present in the office and the conversation is occurring in “real-time.”
As patients become more Internet savvy and pursue medical information in advance of conversations with their doctor, the desire to communicate with their doctor at a heightened level of detail is becoming ever more acute. Whereas in times past, the patient might be content with the simple assurance of their doctor that things will just be okay, now the patient might demand instant information about a test result, the prognosis after a medical procedure, the possible reactions to a medication, a meticulous explanation of what to expect during a surgery, and so forth.
But reading and presenting EMR information is tedious for doctors, and virtually impossible for patients. Entry of information and access to the EMR information is usually done through a generalized computer, through a complex web of menus and entry fields. Very little about the traditional interfaces makes life easy for the doctor-patient relationship. Indeed, the conventional technology in some ways throws up barriers to this relationship because of communication delays caused by the inability to quickly and conveniently share medical information with the patient.
If a doctor wants to share a medical picture or record about the patient, the patient must wait for the doctor to wade through the EMR information using a computer keyboard and a mouse until the sought out information is located, and thereafter, attempt to explain the significance of the information even though there might be different unrelated data showing in the same window, thereby obscuring the pertinent information and lessoning the quality and effectiveness of the doctor-patient interaction. Entering and storing information is equally as difficult, and requires significant time and training so that the information is entered and stored without introducing inaccuracies into the database.
These are only a few of the challenges presented by conventional approaches, which are impeding the wider adoption of electronically stored medical data. Efficiencies associated with the convergence of medical record information and information technology advances are therefore not realized in many situations. The costs associated with medical care will continue to rise at a pace that would otherwise be unnecessary if greater efficiencies were brought to bear.
Accordingly, a need remains for an improved method, apparatus, and system for reading, processing, presenting, and storing electronic medical record information. In addition, a need remains for improving the interactions between patients and their doctors. Embodiments of the invention address these and other limitations in the prior art.
The foregoing and other features of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.